1. Field
Example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to semiconductor memories, and more particularly, to a memory system including a nonvolatile memory and a method of operating a nonvolatile memory.
2. Description of Related Art
A semiconductor memory device is embodied using a semiconductor such as silicon Si, germanium Ge, gallium arsenide GaAs, indium phosphide InP, etc. A semiconductor memory device is classified as a volatile memory device or a nonvolatile memory device.
A volatile memory device loses its stored data when a power supply is interrupted. Examples of the volatile memory device are a static RAM (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a synchronous DRAM, etc. A nonvolatile memory device retains its stored data even when a power supply is interrupted. Examples of the nonvolatile memory device are a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory device, a phase change RAM (PRAM), a magnetic RAM (MRAM), a resistive RAM (RRAM), a ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), etc.
A MRAM is being intensively studied as a next generation memory because of a high speed operation, a nonvolatile characteristic, a high integration, etc.